Computer-implemented methods for evidencing the existence of a digital document, anonymously evidencing the existence of a digital document, and verifying the data integrity of a digital document

Abstract

Improved computer-implemented methods for evidencing the existence of a digital document, anonymously evidencing the existence of a digital document, database management for systems for evidencing the existence of a digital document, and verifying the data integrity of a digital document provide increased reliability, security and enhance trust from users and third parties.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method for evidencing the existence of a digital document comprising the steps of:
 A. obtaining metadata of a digital document in a user's system; 
 B. obtaining a cryptographic hash of the digital document via the user's system; 
 C. sending the metadata and the cryptographic hash from the user's system to a remote device; or sending the metadata and the cryptographic hash to the remote device over the internet; 
 D. receiving the metadata and the cryptographic hash at the remote device; 
 E. requesting a time stamp from a time source; 
 F. receiving the time stamp at the remote device from the time source, wherein the remote device does not comprise the time source, and wherein the time stamp is based upon the time that the remote device receives the metadata and the cryptographic hash; 
 E. combining the metadata, the cryptographic hash, and the time stamp in an evidence key generator to generate an evidence key; 
 F. storing the evidence key to provide a stored evidence key; 
 G. generating a further cryptographic hash of the evidence key in a further evidence key generator to form a further evidence key; and 
 H. storing the further evidence key to form a stored further evidence key, 
 wherein during the method the digital document remains within the user's system. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 obtaining further metadata from a source selected from the group consisting of the user, the user's system, and a combination thereof. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the further cryptographic hash is generated in the further evidence key generator from the evidence key and the further metadata. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
 combining the further cryptographic hash and the further metadata in the further evidence key generator to form the further evidence key. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
 providing the further metadata to a third party; or providing the further metadata to the third party wherein the further metadata is not provided to the remote device. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , further comprising the step of:
 obtaining the user's consent to send the further metadata to a third party, wherein the obtaining of the user's consent occurs prior to the sending of the further metadata to the third party. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein in step C the user's system only sends the metadata and the cryptographic hash to the remote device. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 sending the further cryptographic hash to a third party. 
 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
 obtaining the user's consent to send the further cryptographic hash to a third party, 
 wherein the obtaining of the user's consent occurs prior to the sending of the further cryptographic hash to the third party. 
 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the cryptographic hash is obtained from the digital document and the metadata. 
     
     
       11. A computer-implemented method for anonymously evidencing the existence of a digital document comprising the steps of:
 A. obtaining metadata of a digital document in a user's system; 
 B. obtaining a cryptographic hash of the digital document; 
 C. sending the metadata and the cryptographic hash to a remote device; 
 D. receiving the metadata and the cryptographic hash at the remote device, 
 E. requesting the user's identity data from an identity source; 
 F. obtaining a cryptographic hash of the user's identity data to form an identity hash; 
 G. receiving the identity hash at the remote device; 
 H. combining the metadata, the cryptographic hash, and the identity hash at the remote device in an evidence key generator to generate an evidence key; 
 I. storing the evidence key to provide a stored evidence key; 
 J. generating a reference code for the stored evidence key; or wherein the reference code is a QR code, and 
 K. sending the reference code to the user, 
 wherein the digital document never leaves the user's system, wherein the identity data never leaves the identity source, and wherein the reference code allows a third party to access the evidence key; or allows a third part limited access to the evidence key. 
 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising the steps of:
 requesting a time stamp by the remote device from a time source; 
 receiving the time stamp at the remote device from the time source, and wherein 
 the remote device does not comprise the time source. 
 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the digital document comprises information selected from the group consisting of biometric information, corporate information, financial information, health information, historical information, identity information, legal information, personal information, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
       14. A computer-implemented method for evidencing the existence of a digital document comprising the steps of:
 A. obtaining metadata of a digital document on a user's system; 
 B. obtaining a cryptographic hash of the digital document; 
 C. sending the metadata and the cryptographic hash from the user's system to a remote device; or sending the metadata and the cryptographic hash to the remote device over the internet; 
 D. receiving the metadata and the cryptographic hash at the remote device; 
 E. requesting a time stamp from a time source; 
 F receiving the time stamp at the remote device from the time source, wherein the remote device does not comprise the time source, and wherein the time stamp is based upon the time that the remote device receives the metadata and the cryptographic hash; 
 G. combining the metadata, the cryptographic hash, and the time stamp at the remote device in an evidence key generator to generate an evidence key; 
 H. combining a plurality of evidence keys to form a compound evidence key; 
 I. storing the compound evidence key to provide a stored compound evidence key; 
 J. generating a further cryptographic hash of the compound evidence key to form a further evidence key; and 
 K. storing the further evidence key to form a stored further evidence key. 
 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 14 ,
 wherein the plurality of evidence keys comprises between 2 and 1000 evidence keys. 
 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 14 , further comprising the step of storing compound metadata with the plurality of evidence keys to form the compound evidence key. 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 16 , wherein a predetermined period of time determines which evidence keys in the plurality of evidence keys are combined into the compound evidence key. 
     
     
       18. A method for verifying the data integrity of a digital document comprising the steps of:
 A. storing a digital document on a user's system; 
 B. obtaining metadata of the digital document; 
 C. obtaining a cryptographic hash of the digital document; 
 D. sending the metadata and the cryptographic hash to a remote device; 
 E. receiving the metadata and the cryptographic hash at the remote device; 
 F. requesting a time stamp from a time source; 
 G. receiving the time stamp at the remote device from the time source, wherein the remote device does not comprise the time source; 
 H. combining the metadata, the cryptographic hash, and the time stamp at the remote device in an evidence key generator to generate an evidence key; 
 I. storing the evidence key to provide a stored evidence key; 
 J. obtaining a second cryptographic hash of the digital document by a third party user; 
 K. comparing the second cryptographic hash with the cryptographic hash in the stored evidence key to generate a comparison result; and 
 L. notifying the third party user of the comparison result, 
 wherein during the method the digital document remains within the user's system, the third party user's system, or both. 
 
     
     
       19. The method for verifying the data integrity of a digital document according to  claim 18 , wherein the third party user is different from the user. 
     
     
       20. The method for verifying the data integrity of a digital document according to  claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:
 the third party user obtaining second metadata from the digital document; 
 comparing the second metadata with the metadata to generate the comparison result. 
 
     
     
       21. The method for verifying the data integrity of a digital document according to  claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:
 making the evidence key; or the cryptographic hash, publicly-available.